1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a vehicle seat component (a member formed by integrating a cushion member and an upholstery member together), and more specifically to a vehicle seat component provided with, for example, a blower.
2. Description of Related Art
As this type of vehicle seat, there is a vehicle seat that includes a seat cushion, a seatback, and a blower (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-8334 (JP 2004-8334 A)). The blower includes a centrifugal blower mechanism (mechanism that blows air in the centrifugal direction while sucking in external air from the axial direction of the blower), and may be arranged, for example, below the seat cushion. The seat cushion and the seatback each have a cushion member and an upholstery member. Each upholstery member is a saclike member that covers the cushion member, and is made of air-permeable fabric.
The cushion member is an elastic member, and has flow passages (vent grooves). The vent grooves are recesses formed in the back surface of the cushion member. The vent grooves open, at one end side, on the seating side (upholstery member side) of the cushion member, and communicate, at the other end side, with an introduction hole formed in a lid member that is fitted onto the back surface of the cushion member. The cushion member described above is generally formed by injecting a molding material (molten resin) into a molding die. By forming projections (portions that correspond to the outer shapes of, for example, the vent grooves) inside the molding die, the flow passages are formed simultaneously with the formation of the cushion member.
In the related art, after the flow passages are formed in advance in the cushion member, the surface of the cushion member is covered with the upholstery member. Next, the lid member is fitted onto the back surface of the cushion member (the vent grooves are sealed) while communication is provided between the vent grooves and the blower. As a result, the air blown out of the blower is supplied to an occupant via the flow passages of the cushion member.
In this type of vehicle seat, an upholstery member may be integrated with a cushion member while the cushion member is molded. For example, if a molding material is injected into a molding die after the upholstery member is disposed in the molding die, the upholstery member and the cushion member are integrated together while the cushion member is molded. However, the integrated configuration described above is not very suitable for forming flow passages simultaneously with the molding of the cushion member, because the upholstery member arranged in a cavity and projections (portions that correspond to the outer shapes of, for example, vent grooves) may contact each other. Accordingly, the flow passages are formed in the cushion member that has been molded. However, because the thickness of the cushion member is relatively large, a work for forming the flow passages (particularly, the vent grooves) may be cumbersome and time-consuming. In addition, the flow passages of the cushion member are unnecessary for a vehicle seat that is not provided with a blower. Therefore, the cushion member in which the flow passages (particularly, the vent grooves) are formed in advance is less likely to be selected as a vehicle seat component that is not provided with a blower.